Forgive and Forget
by nikki-of-stormhold
Summary: As a member of Septimus's court, Ariel thinks she is safe, but when a startling revelation comes to pass her very existence is threatened- by the dark new King's reluctance to forget the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Forgive and Forget- chapter One**

**Revelations**

**I obviously don't own Stardust or anything connected with it, but I own Ariel and Aiken, and this storyline. **

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The guard outside of the jail cell looked up incredulously upon hearing a loud slapping sound. Peering into the cell, he noticed that the female prisoner was sitting on top of the man with the dark hair, and the noise ha had heard had been her slapping him around the face. Not that he felt it- he was completely unconscious. Confused, he wondered whether to speak to her, but promptly decided to leave her to it- Queen Aiken was very particular when it came to the keeping of prisoners, and unauthorized conversation with them was probably very punishable. He winced as another slapping sound echoed in the dungeon.

"Wake up!" Ariel slapped Septimus again, harder this time. He stirred, then reluctantly opened his eyes and blinked groggily.

"Finally! How long were you going to make me wait!" she rolled off of him and stood up, folding her arms.

Septimus sat up slowly, squinting and rubbing his head where one of the guards had hit him- the cause of his unconsciousness. Blinking again, he suddenly realized his situation.

"You need not look at me like you want to kill me, I was just trying to wake you up so we can get out of her," Ariel said indignantly.

" Has it ever occurred to you that there are gentler, more intelligent ways of trying to encourage unconsciousness to relinquish its' hold on a man?"

"Like what?"

"Well not whacking in the head for a start."

"You're awake aren't you?"

Septimus sighed grumpily and stood up, swaying unsteadily.

"Are we in the dungeon?" he said, suddenly surprised.

"Yep. Aiken's guards are convinced that we are an assassination party, and one in particular was very rude about it."

He looked confused, trying to remember what had happened.

"What did he say?"

"Its not important. What is important is that you hit him and caused a huge incident and then he knocked you out with a vase and we got thrown in here and you decided to go sleepy byes, hence the slapping."

"I did not decide to go 'sleepy byes,' I was knocked out." He began to stride up and down the cell, looking slightly menacing. Septimus was a frightening and dangerous man at the best of times- and given the present circumstances he was not to be reckoned with.

"Where is Aiken now?" His voice was husky and low, and his face looked even darker than usual in the dim light of the cell.

"She was out riding when we arrived. Should be back any second. Ah, speak of the devil."

The heavy doors of the dungeon opened noisily, a guard on either side, and a self-important little man unlocked their cell, instructing them pompously to follow him. A few minutes later they stood side by side in the great hall of the castle, facing Queen Aiken herself. Ariel had not expected her to be so beautiful. Her reputation suggested otherwise- she had expected a butch, buxom woman with a low voice and cruel eyes, but this was not what she saw. Aiken was tall and thin, with beautiful gold curls and a pale, lovely face. She sat upright in a tall golden chair, her hands placed delicately in her lap. She smiled angelically- and that was when Ariel saw it. She was a little too angelic. Looking at Septimus, she was disappointed to see that he was transfixed. He stepped forwards, knelt beside her and kissed her hand. She nodded at him, pleased with the attention he was paying her. She then turned to look at Ariel.

"And who is this that you have brought with you? Is she a member of your party?" the Queen smiled sweetly, as Septimus followed her gaze to Ariel.

"Oh, forgive me; this is Ariel, a member of my court. She accompanied me to your land as she has a friend here."

"Wonderful. I apologize, Septimus, for the way you were treated. My guards are prone to a little over excitement, but they do a good job protecting me."

Ariel watched as the Queen kept Septimus under her spell- for that was exactly what it seemed like. Something was wrong, she could feel it. But it looked as though she was alone in this. Every man in the hall was captivated by this strange woman, with all her power and her beauty. Suddenly she wanted to be back in Stormhold, back with Una in the castle.

Then she heard it. The one thing that threatened her very existence. If Septimus ever found out she would be dead within seconds, and if it weren't him it would be someone else. But here it was, the threat once again alive.

"I rode out last week and heard someone say it. Apparently she's alive. The only one left of the Galahan family. If it's true, she must be found. I needn't remind you of the implications of her being alive upon Stormhold, if she were to resurface." Septimus looked troubled, and turned from Aiken to stare out of the window at her kingdom. Ariel stood very still, not trusting herself to speak to either of them.

" So this is what you wanted to see me about?"

"Yes." She shifted a little, tilting her head slightly. "I thought you ought to know."

"Hmm." He frowned, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword, which hung from his belt.

"You are right. She must be found. I cannot risk the return of the Galahans to Stormhold, as I'm sure, you cannot either."

"Naturally. I have begun the search for her here, I have snouts in the streets and the fields, and if she is here she will be found."

Septimus turned swiftly, looking at her.

"I must go now, and do the same in my kingdom. Thank you, Queen Aiken, for this information."

He bowed to her, as she did to him, and the doors of the hall were opened for him. Ariel followed him slowly, feeling numb and frozen. She was surprised that she could get her legs to work, but realized that she must. If all of Aiken's kingdom knew that the last Galahan was alive, then getting back to Stormhold could be very difficult.

"Septimus?"

Ariel jumped as the Queen called softly to him, and he paused abruptly.

"If I find her, I could deal with her myself, but I am sure that you would prefer it if I turned her over to you."

He stood very still, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

"Yes, your majesty, I would."

A shiver ran down Ariel's spine at the tone of his voice. She was in trouble. Big trouble. If he found out, she would not stand a chance.

She was suddenly aware of Queen Aiken's gaze, resting intently on her.

"Take care, Ariel. And be careful." Her sickly sweet voice sent a second shiver through Ariel, as she tried to look the Queen in the eye steadily.

"I will, thank you your majesty."

The ride home was silent. Clearly the revelation about the last Galahan was extremely important to Septimus, and it had put him in a very bad mood. He snapped at his men, and at her, either snapped at them or ignored them completely. They rode very fast- his horse bore the brunt of his agitation, and the troubled frown never left his face. She did not know what to do, what to say. If she stayed in Stormhold she would almost certainly be found, but if she ran away it would look very obvious, and the connection would be easily made between her and the last Galahan. She had chosen to come to Stormhold because that was what her father had told her to do, when he had given up his own life to save hers. But now, thanks to beautiful, sweet Queen Aiken, her life was once again under threat, and her existence in Stormhold must come to an end.

Looking across at Septimus, she made up her mind. She would have to go. To get beyond the lands where she would be known, to escape her fate once again. And to hope, above all, that he never found out who she truly was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two- Escaping the Past**

**Hi, I know I have not updated this in ages, and there are probably only a few who care, but I'm updating it now ******

Ariel stood on the balcony in the evening air, her shawl flapping slightly in the cool breeze. Septimus had stormed straight into his study upon his return, having thrown his reins into the hands of a stable boy, who led the exhausted animal away to water. The king had spoken to no-one, but had left them to their own devices, his face darker than Ariel had ever seen it before. She looked up at the stars now. This was her only chance. If she did not get away tonight, then she never would. He already had half of Stormhold's army out looking for the last Galahan, and getting out of the kingdom was going to be difficult- without the right help it would be impossible. And so it was a good job she had the right help. She sighed, looked out over Stormhold, and said a private goodbye.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?" His voice sent a chill down her spine. How could he be here now? Did he know? Had he found out that soon?

"I am…. Looking at the stars." It was all she could think of to say.

King Septimus chuckled. Surely that was a good thing.

"Some things never change." He stood beside her on the balcony. He was too close for Ariel to be comfortable. It was difficult to behave normally.

"Have you… have you heard anything yet?" she managed.

He shook his head, looking out over the forest. Ariel's mind wandered, all the way back to the same night that the King was remembering. A night in the forest fifteen years ago.

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_Ariel's father half dragged her through the forest. It was the middle of the night, and she had been woken violently by her mother. _

"_Come on my darling, we have to go away for a bit, for a little holiday." Ariel's mother grabbed her hand and forced her shoes onto her small feet. The three of them, mother, father and child ran through the house to the back door. Ariel could hear men shouting at the front of the house, and suddenly there were flames engulfing it. Her mother gave a little yelp, as one of the men came into view._

"_Sir, I've found them!" He shouted. Ariel was frightened. Her father turned to her. _

"_I love you sweetheart, and I always will. You remember that. Now you and mummy run fast, as fast as you can, and I will be with you again one day." Her mother, crying and shaking grabbed her and began to run. Ariel looked back at her father and their burning house. He had drawn his sword and was about to fight with the man who had found them. He looked back for a final time._

"_Look for me in the stars Ariel, and I shall be there!" _

_And that was that. She didn't remember anything after that. Only waking up in a strange place, her mother and father nowhere to be seen. A few years later the story of the Galahans, her family, had ben explained to her. Her father had been the head of the Stormhold guard, the King's friend and loyal servant. His jealous brother had betrayed Stormhold, and had blamed it on Ariel's father. A neighboring Queen had led her armies against Stormhold, knowing exactly where to strike and cause enough damage to the kingdom to render it fallen. The king had learned quickly of the betrayal, but only enough that he was convinced by the evil uncle's lie. He had sent his personal guard in the middle of the night to kill the Galahans, whom he believed to be responsible for the fall of his kingdom, and Ariel's father had died trying to save her and his wife, her mother. Ariel remembered running for what seemed like an age through the forest, and then her mother was gone and she was alone. And then…. Nothing. _

Ariel jumped as Septimus spoke.

"You know, I remember the night the Galahan family betrayed us. It was a night just like this one. There were a lot of stars. "

She did not dare look at him.

"The commander of my father's army, Sir Andrew Galahan, told a foreign queen where every single troop we had was stationed. She attacked and brought ruin upon us."

Hearing him say that was painful. Her father would never have done it. She knew it had been her uncle, but she was the only one, and she knew he would not believe her. She would not have enough time to tell him- he would kill her first.

"Of course, they were all killed for their trouble, their house burned to the ground that night. Only…. One of them escaped."

Why had she come here? Knowing full well that this would happen. Her mother, she had wanted to find her mother. And no-one knew what the child of the Galahans would grow up to look like. The risk had seemed so small.

"A child. She would be twenty three now. Is twenty three now. And she has returned, to ruin us once more." He looked at her steadily. She held his gaze, realizing not for the first time that he was handsome, and dark, and that she felt a strange kind or love for him. It was strange, his father had murdered her own. But that was his father, and from what she had heard, he was very different to the former king, not recognizable as his son.

"You are alright, Ariel? You look troubled."

She shook her head.

"I am fine. Why do you ask?"

He narrowed his dark eyes.

"The visit to see Queen Aiken, did it upset you?"

"No, not at all my lord. She is quite lovely. "

There was a short silence.

"Hmm. Well take care not to go out alone after dark. There is no telling what the Galahan girl will do to hurt me. If she were to hurt you as an attempt….. I would not be able to forgive myself."

He touched her arm gently, then turned slowly and left.

She looked up at the stars once more.

The situation had become even more complicated.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

**Return**

The wood was quiet- too quiet for Ariel's liking. It was the middle of the night, but the usual sounds that could be heard at night in the woods were absent. No snuffling sounds, no rattling of the trees or shrubbery, no hooting of the owls. Ariel was painfully aware of the sound of her own footsteps as she fled from the kingdom of Stormhold. After Septimus's visit, she had made the decision to go. It was just too dangerous to stay, and she could not risk it. Every step she took to leave her home behind hurt a little bit more, especially when she thought of the young king's face when he had touched her arm. But it could not be helped. The path through the woods would be too obvious and too easy to track her along, so she had decided to follow a different route, one that she had discovered as a child. She had been travelling for three hours now, and was far enough away to consider it safe to pause for a rest. Sitting down heavily on a tree stump, she looked up at the sky. It had clouded over, and the stars had become hidden. She was about to get up again when she heard a voice not far off. Terrified at first that she had been discovered and tracked down, she searched frantically for somewhere to hide. Seeing nowhere, she did the only thing that she could think of to do in a wood and climbed a tree. What unfolded below was to change the course of her path yet again.

"Are you sure he did not suspect anything my lady?" A short man in a long green overcoat hurried to keep up with a cloaked figure, that moved elegantly in front of him.

"I have told you already, Giles, he was far too absorbed in this Galahan affair. Now stop irritating me and tell me the plan so that I know you have understood. If indeed miracles are possible."

The short man stopped as the figure did and took a deep breath.

"Yes my lady. Right, we are going to the edge of the forest, where our armies are awaiting us, and… I am afraid… I may have forgotten what you said, ma'm."

The figure in the cloak turned sharply and slapped the short man, Giles, across his cheek with a cracking sound. As she did so, the hood of her cloak fell, revealing her to be nine other than Queen Aiken. She looked angry and pale in the moonlight. Ariel gasped quietly, with a sickening feeling that the beautiful Queen had dark intentions here in the woods.

"We are going to the edge of the forest, where General Fawcett awaits us, and we shall launch our attack on Stormhold, which may I add we have been planning for two years, you idiot, and finish what my mother started over a decade ago. If you have not yet understood, Giles, tell me and I shall make sure one way or another that you do." Her eyes flashed silvery grey as she hissed at him, and Ariel noticed a thin line of blood across his cheek where the Queen had struck him.

"No your majesty, I understand."

They continued in silence oblivious to Ariel's presence, and unaware that they had been overheard. Everything had become clear. The noises in the wood had stopped because the evil Queen had returned, or rather the daughter of the evil Queen that had tried to take Stormhold all those years ago, the Queen from whom even the stars hid. So that was it. Ariel's uncle had betrayed her father to help the mysterious queen to attack, to aid the fall of Stormhold and bring the two of them to power. For their cause her father had died and her mother had gone, their home destroyed, their name blackened forever. For their evil Ariel had lost everything, and now, it seemed, history would repeat itself. Aiken had called them to her kingdom to warn Septimus of the last Galahan's existence, knowing full well that Ariel was that Galahan. But she had not revealed it to him, because she needed him to employ his armies to look for her when she ran. She needed him to panic so that she could once again attack an undefended kingdom in cold blood, whilst the king searched for and murdered one of his closest friends. The last Galahan was the perfect distraction to aid the fall of Septimus and his kingdom, just as it had been all those years ago.

Ariel waited until she was sure that the Queen was gone, thinking quickly and calmly. For this her father had died, and she had lost everything. She would not let that happen again, not whilst she was the only one with the power to stop it. There was little doubt that Septimus would have figured out by now who she was, and would have a reward pending for her murder, but that did not change the fact that she could not let Stormhold fall, could not watch as her friends died trying to save it, or as her king defended it from a surprise attack which he had no chance of resisting. And so it was simple- she would go back, face him and her fate, and do what she could to save those that she loved. It worked in theory.


End file.
